Lighthouse Way (Huckleberry Bay 1)

“You made a picnic,” she says with a smile.

“And these flowers are for you,” I add, pointing to the yellow bouquet.

We sit side by side at the picnic table, and I pull out the sandwiches and salads that I picked up, along with some lemonade. I save the cheesecake for dessert.

“This is really nice,” Luna says and smiles at me. “Thank you.”

“I’ve missed you,” I reply, drinking her in. “It’s been a crazy couple of weeks.”

“Tell me everything.”

“You don’t want the sordid details.”

She nods. “I absolutely do. Give them to me.”

I take a bite of my pastrami sandwich. “Well, as you know, we moved the car out of the barn and took it to the garage. Zeke got to town, and he’s been settling into his new place as we got the garage ready for business. Equipment was delivered every day.”

I sip my lemonade and watch the way her jaw moves as she chews.

God, she’s fucking sexy.

“What else?” she asks.

“The new garage at my place is starting to come along. The foundation’s down, and the walls are going up. The roof trusses should come in the next couple of days.”

“It’s moving so fast. There’s improvement every day.”

“I know. It’s impressive that they brought the whole crew down from Washington to do this. But it’s exactly what I was hoping for. Anyway, I’ve also been handling some of the apartment stuff for Sarah, arranging for flooring and new bathroom fixtures. June’s been a huge help there, even though I know she’s been busy on your project.”

I glance back at the barn, which already looks so different from how it did just two weeks ago.

“Talk about change,” I mutter.

“It startles me every time I look out the window,” Luna says with a soft smile.

“I bet. Anyway, with all the stuff happening, by the time I get home late into the evening, my head is pounding, so I crash and get up the next morning to start all over again.”

“I’m sorry,” Luna says softly and reaches over to take my hand. “But I have to admit that I’m glad to hear you’ve been so busy. I thought maybe I hadn’t heard from you because you just decided you weren’t interested anymore.”

I frown at her and then reach out and brush my fingers down her cheek.

“You thought I ghosted you?” I’m more than a moron. I’m fucking stupid. “Shit, Luna, I’m sorry. It wasn’t that at all. I’m damn horrible about texting. I hate that. And things have just been overwhelming.”

“I get it,” she replies with a nod. “In the future, maybe you could just shoot off one of those texts you hate so much just as a compromise.”

“I’m a selfish dick.” I shake my head. “I’m so sorry. I should have brought more than flowers and sandwiches.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. Diamonds?”

She laughs and then shakes her head. “It’s okay. No need for that. I’ve been busy, too, with all of Rose’s things and doing some research. I’ve learned a lot about her, but I have more questions that I have to go to the library and into the county records for.”

“Like what?” I ask, relieved that she forgave me so quickly. She will never have to worry again whether I’m interested in her. Jesus, how could I be so stupid?

“Like who she was in love with before she married her husband.”

“She doesn’t say?”

“She only gives initials. It sounds like it was a bit of a scandal. I haven’t had any luck yet, but there has to be information somewhere.”

“You’ll find it,” I reply with confidence.

“On top of that, I’ve been helping Sarah shop for furniture. She arrived here with nothing, Wolfe. She invested all those years in that marriage, and because Anthony coerced her into a prenup, she has nothing more than what fits in two suitcases.”

“She needs an attorney.” I clean up the remnants of our food as I talk. “She was young, and I’ll bet she didn’t have an attorney look at it back then. I’d bet a million dollars a good lawyer could get her a settlement at least.”

“She says no,” Luna replies. “But I think she’s resisting it because she doesn’t think she can afford it. She found some really beautiful things at second-hand and thrift shops, though. And June and I got her a new bed as a gift. I didn’t feel right about her sleeping on an old mattress.”

“If I’d known, I would have just furnished the place for her.”

“I don’t think she wanted that,” Luna says quickly. “She wants to do most of this on her own. You did a lot with the vinyl flooring and the new bathroom. She loved painting and cleaning the place. She’s beside herself to move in.”

“Tanner was going to help her with the furniture today,” I reply. “Then she’ll finish up tomorrow.”